Child of Peace
by Bolinlover123
Summary: Mako hides his brother from the world for over a decade, determined to do anything to keep him safe and out of enemies' reach. But destiny is relentless, and has a way of finding those who try to fight against it. Mako knows the world will one day see Bolin as its Avatar. But for now, he just wants to keep Bolin as his brother for a little longer.
1. Oh, Little Chosen Child

Bolin comes home from playing outside to find his normally quiet apartment busting with energy.

He scurries into the kitchen; Mako is plopped on a chair, tears in his amber eyes and red scratches covering his legs. Mommy is hovering over him with a wet cloth and bandages, kissing his cheek all while making sighing noises that don't sound very comforting.

"Mako, sweetie," she begins, wiping a stray hair from her face, with she delicately peels open another band-aid, "I've told you before not to practice firebending by yourself,"

Mako just huffs and wipes his tears. Bolin walks into the kitchen now, all set on making Mako feel better, because Mako never cries, ( _because he's eight_ , he says, _and_ _isn't a little kid anymore_ ,) but right now he really looks like he wants to cry.

The phone rings then, echoing from the little counter by the sink, and Mommy calls for Daddy to _please, get it because she's busy at the moment,_ and Daddy calls back something from the other room that doesn't sound like he's going to be able to get it.

Mommy sighs again, and stands up. "I'll be right back, honey," she tells his brother, and goes over to see who is calling.

Now's his time, Bolin thinks, to help Mako since Mommy and Daddy are busy. So he takes the cloth just like Mommy did, a _nd, yes, he can do this, he's a big_ boy, so he dips it in the water and presses it to Mako's scratched-up knee.

"Sorry," he says when Mako hisses at the pressure. But Mako isn't looking at him anymore; his amber eyes are open wide and his mouth hanging open, too, his missing tooth showing. So Bolin looks down to what Mako is seeing, and he almost jumps back in shock.

The water in his hands over Mako's cut is glowing; glowing a bright, blue, shimmering light.

"Bo..." Mako whispers, "You're a waterbender! You're healing me!"

Mako's cut fades away, the skin of his knee smooth and white, but a bubble of fear is blooming in Bolin's tummy, because...

 _isn't he supposed to be an Earthbender?_

He's been practicing with Daddy all the time, and even though he hasn't been able to bend anything yet, Daddy says he's just a late bloomer.

"Mom!" Mako calls, " _Look!_ Bolin's a waterbender!"

And their Mom has just enough time to hang up the phone and turn around before she really _does_ jump.

She comes over to them slowly, her face looking from Bolin, to Mako, to the little glowing bubble of water in Bolin's hands, and back to her youngest son.

"Mommy, I made Mako all better!" he excailms, before he looses focus and the bubbles bursts and slashes to the floor.

"Yes, baby..." she says slowly, almost to herself, "Yes, you did..."

* * *

 **Okay, guys, this is just a little preview of what is to come in the Avatar Bolin AU!**

 **Some notes; first of all, this is going to be a certain style of writing where I break each 'chapter' into little drabbles or parts, I should say. There will be multiple parts per chapter, depicting Bolin's life and perhaps some other POV's as well.**

 **Also, this style is going to be more short and straight forward, and not as detailed...you know? I am making it purposely simplified.**

 **Like, I guess dabbles are like that? Well, this isnt really a drabble...but these first few are from a young Bolin's pov so it sounds young, you know?**

 **Also, since this is an Au, Mako and Bolin's parents are going to stick around a little longer. (Slightly, like a few years)**

 **You can find some of the headcannons and ideas for this fic on ' _Theorangestar_ 's" tumblr . I read her tumblr and she gave me permission to use her ideas.**

 **Go read her short story called 'The Avatar State" in which Bolin goes into the Avatar State for the first time during Amon's rally in the 'Revelation'. An awesome picture for this story is also on her tumblr that she did, which really helps set the tone. You should review!**

 **Also, if you have any ideas you want me to put in this fic, I will think about it and may use them.**

 **Will update a longer chapter soon. Reviews and ideas always welcome. :)**


	2. Destiny's Calling

Here _we go, guys. Little Bolin's thoughts are simple now due to his youth and innocence. As he ages, his thoughts and the wording with get more complex. Stay tuned!_

* * *

Mommy and Daddy are arguing.

 _"He's only six years old, Naoki!"_

 _"I know, but he just healed Mako with waterbending, San! Earth and now water...I mean..."_

 _"How can this be possible? Avatar Aang died six years ago. But everyone's been searching the Water Tribes...The Avatar is supposed to be Water Tribe..."_

 _"I know. And he's half Fire Nation from my side...How...?"_

 _"Master Tenzin...training..."_

He and Mako can only pick out a few words and sentences here and there from down the hall, but it's still really scary because Mommy and Daddy rarely ever fight. He doesn't even know what all their words mean, but it can't be good. He must have done something _really bad_ to make Mommy and Daddy mad, but Mako tells him it's okay, that he was only trying to help.

 _"Protection... Air Temple Island..."_

Their parents come out of the room eventually and have Mako and Bolin sit with them on the couch.

"Bolin, honey, we're not mad at you," Mommy says, pushing his curls back from his forehead, as Bolin wipes at his eyes, "We're just..." She starts, but doesn't seem to know what to say.

"Surprised,"Daddy tries to explain.

"Because I bent water even though I'm an Earthbender, like you, Daddy?" He asks, and his parents nod, slowly. "Okay, well, I promise to just Earthbend from now on." Seeming to think the problem is solved. Simple.

"No, you're supposed to waterbend, too!" Mako tells him with enthusiasm. Mako is always right, so this logic confuses him. "And fire...and air!"

" _Mako!_ "

The warning tone in their voices makes Mako quiet again. "Oh...sorry,"

"Sweetheart, listen," Mommy holds his cheeks in her warm hands, so he's looking right in their faces. "We were just surprised because... only one person can bend all four elements. A very... _special_ person called the ' _Avatar._ '..."

"Do you remember learning about Avatar Aang and his friends from school? Daddy asks, "Seeing his face with the blue arrow on it from your picture books? And the big statue by Yue Bay?"

Bolin nods. " _Mmhmm!_ Kun says he got frozen in a icicle for a _billion_ years!"

San laughs, "Well, not a _'billion'._ More like-"

" _San_ ," Naoki elbows him.

"What we mean is...we think you may be special like him, like the Avatar,"

"Oh..." He looks at Mako, who nods.

"It's really cool," His brother goes on, "You can bend _all_ the elements. And go into the Spirit World, and beat bad guys! And go into the Avatar State, too!"

Silence fills the room as Bolin seems to ponder this; his bushy brows furrowing, and his bottom lip jutting out slightly.

"Do you understand what Daddy and I are trying to say, honey?"

"I'm like...the Avatar?"

* * *

He's nine the first time it happens, though he'll try to push it to the back of his mind for years to come.

It's a normal childhood occurrence, really; the way kids pick on those they don't like or understand. But Bolin is no normal child, and destiny wants him to know it at an early age.

Mako is playing by by the edge of the playground at recces, trying to show the other kids how to twist their fire into dragons and bagerrmoles and everything you're not supposed to do with your bending at recces when teachers aren't looking.

It happens fast, really. In later years, Mako will tell him it only lasted a few minutes. But to him it will be like hours. The way Mako and another boy cries out as a sharp icicle slices both their legs as it whizzes past; the ice that was meant for the tiny nonbender boy who likes to stick gum under desks, but never makes it that far. ( _It was meant to get him **wet**_ **,** the big brute of a waterbender boy will say, his dark skin shiny with sweat, _not hurt them. I didn't mean to make it sharp and hurt them,)_

It didn't matter. The damage was already done.

Mako and Nuan go down, both yelling and grasping their legs. And really, a normal child would have called the teacher over, and gotten the nurse. But all Bolin can see is the blood. _Mako's blood_ streaming down his leg as he clutches his wound, and Nuan is crying and-

He feels the anger first-he remembers that much. Its hot anger accompanied by a numbing, tingling feeling swelling up from his center and spreading up his body until his hands feel like he's touched the surface of the sun and his eyes fill up with something bright and white that _hurts_ but feels like it's coming from _inside_ him-

He blinks, and feels _power._

His whole body seizes up as whatever was _inside_ him, _explodes outward._ He feels his feet lift off the ground, and the wind picks up and swirls around. He's the eyes of the storm, and everyone else is just collateral damage in his path. In the back of his mind, somewhere far away he hears screams. Teachers, students. Everyone.

But he's screaming, too. And he doesn't feel like himself. Like he's hundreds of other people at once. Young, old. Wise, noble. He hears their voices in his head and he feels them combining their _energies_ and _knowledge_ and _feelings_ and _souls_ through his body. He's a thousand years old and a billion people at once.

He's the center of the universe. As he looks around at the world though his yellow-tinted haze he can see all the chi and energy of everything around him. He feels like he could do anything. He feels like he could talk to the dead.

The anger surges through him now, hot and merciless. **_"You hurt him!"_** But his voice echoes thousands of ancient beings. The wind swirls around him faster. The ground beneath him shakes to his will.

More screaming from down below. But Bolin has to make them know. He has to make them and everyone understand that no one hurts Mako, or any of his family.

 _No one._

 ** _"You hurt Mako!"_** The other voices bellow and echo over his own, booming with power. **_"You'll pay for this!"_**

The voices tell him to _use fire,_ to _use earth._ They move his arms up like puppet strings, and fire blasts from his palms. Their chants fill his ears.

He hears it then, a different voice. Not from inside him, but familiar all the same.

 _"Bolin!"_

Mako, it's Mako's voice. He hears it, _feels_ his brother somehow. But he can't see him.

 _"Bolin! Bolin, it's me, Mako! I'm okay, Bo! Stop!"_

He feels the anger lighten, just a bit. The storm at his center calming slightly.

He lowers his arms. The energy of the universe shifts. **_"Mako...?"_**

 _"Yeah, bro, it's me!"_ the voice yells, _"It's okay! Come back, please!"_

Somehow, he knows his body is slowly floating downward. He feels the wind weaken.

Mako's voice is still talking to him, still encouraging him, saying _he's doing a good job, that he's almost there._

The voices quiet down, and the the sounds of his own name form back in his memory. He registers that he's a single person, as the fibers of his being slowly remember his own existence. _Bolin/Bolin/Bolin._ Something soft and warm is on his forearm. He sees a blurry figure through his tinted-haze of vision, and is aware that the warm sensation belongs to a hand.

He's feet land on solid purchase just as he's enveloped in a tight embrace. He feels the pulse of the other persons' chi against his own. The tingling sensation begins to melt away.

He reminds himself again that it's _Mako. Mako's okay, he's fine, he's okay, okay, okay..._

"It's okay, Bo. I'm okay. You can come back now," Mako's is soft, but firm now. He no longer has to yell to be heard.

Bolin blinks, and his vision clears. He head is resting against Mako's shoulder in a tight embrace. The courtyard behind them is a disaster zone.

He has just enough time to moan out his brother's name, before exhaustion seizes his entire body. He sags against Mako like a limp noodle, his eyes rolling to the back of his head.

He's unconscious before he hits the ground.

* * *

He wakes up in his own bed.

His eyes flit open, and he groans. The pulsing in his head like thunder cracking across the sky.

Then it all comes back in a rush of colors and sensations; _the playground, Mako, the blood, his anger, the brightness in his eyes._

A panicked yelp leaves his mouth before he bolts up in bed, _"Gahhhhh!"_

"Bolin!"

He will push this memory of what happened to the back of his mind for years to come, only recalling it when the time is right. But for for right now, the pain is fresh. For right now, he remembers _all too well._

He turns and sees his parents. His father is resting on a chair to the right, while his mother emerges from the threshold of the door. She hastily puts down a tray on the table before rushing up to him, enveloping him in a hug. Dad comes to sit on the end of the bed with them, wrapping both of them in his stocky arms.

"Oh, baby," mom's breath is hot against his neck as she wraps her arms around his frame, "my baby, I'm here,"

"I-I'm s-sorry!" he squeaks, "I g-got scared and angry and-" his words are broken off by his tears.

Mom and Dad let him cry for a while, letting it all out. The small comforts they tell him do little to ease the horrible feeling in his belly. They tell him it's not his fault, that he didn't know any better. That Mako and everyone are okay.

As he whips his tears away, Dad puts a hand on his shoulder. "Son," he looks at him with his big, green, eyes, "There is someone we want you to meet."

Bolin looks up at his parents faces. "Some nice people close to here, are going to help train you," Mom says, her eyes glistening, "to help you control your powers, and learn bending, and everything it means to be a great Avatar,"

He feels his eyes water again, "You're sending me away?"

"No!" they intermediately reply. "Of course not, honey," Mom brushes his hair back from his forehead.

"We're you're family. We will _always_ be your family," they look at him sternly in the eyes, making sure he understatements this. "You'll be living here, but during the day...you're going to be training with Avatar Aaang's son, Master Tenzin,"

"You remember where he lives, right?" Dad asks.

He nods. "On Air Temple Island," Everyone in the City knows that. He's seen the bald man walking around, his ancient red robes swaying about his feet. He blue arrow looked like the sky and stuck out against his white head.

"Master Tenzin is going to be your new teacher. You'll love him, he's very nice," Mom sighs, "He's going to help you,"

Dad looks away like he's trying not to cry. His eyes look kind of sad, but when he faces Bolin again, his eyes are dry. "Do you have any questions, kiddo?"

He has a _billion_ questions. Like what was wrong with him? What did he do at the playground when he got angry? Who were those voices talking to him? How come he can't bend fire no matter how much he tries? And how come people in the streets have whispered his name, along with the mention of the Water Tribe? How come they think he's supposed to be from the Water Tribes?

"Bolin?" The look at him, lovingly, patient, waiting.

He shakes his had, 'no' and looks down.

"But...Mako's okay?" he asks in a small voice.

"Mako's fine, hon. He's in the other room and wants to see you, but we wanted you to rest until you woke up."

They wait a minute in silence. The gravity of the situation taking hold. Then dad reminds him that he has someone to see.

Bolin takes a deep breath and holds Mommy's hand tight, as he waits for Dad to return to the room.

"Bolin...?"

He peeks his eyes up from his lap, then, slowly. In front of him is the man he's only seen a handful of times walking in the City; heard on the radio; read about in school; heard about in bedtime stories. How many times have he and Mako pretended to be these ancient heroes, running around their room and out in the yard?

It was supposed to be all just pretend.

His arrow is bright blue, and his robes drape around his shoulders with the delicateness and wisdom of centuries past. His beard is dark and long. His dimples deepen when he smiles, and his blue eyes look at him in a warm, loving way no one has ever looked at him before.

"Hello, Bolin," he takes a step closer into the room, and his smile grows, "I've been waiting to meet you for quite some time now..."

* * *

 _So, what do you guys think, really? Is it took cheesy? I mean, he's only nine right now. Shit shall hit the fan soon._

 _Please let me know what you think! :)_


	3. Nightmare

_A big thank you to 'GodSaveTheKings' of all your help. You're awesome._

* * *

By the age of sixteen, Bolin had been having the same nightmare for years now. This horrid dream had played out before him in his sleeping mind so often- even more so than the grusome death of his parents- that he could probably recite the words from memory.

It was always on an airship. Always with Mako, and Korra and Asami and people he had yet to meet. He figured out it wasn't a dream, but a premonition, by the time he was fifteen. And no matter how hard he tried to fight against it, it seemed fate was going to hand him a bad deck of cards- or maybe not, if he could keep this horrible sacrifice from happening.

It was like his life was on one end of a bomb; his years, and months, and days all leading down to this moment.

 _"We come up through the valley, scale the side of the mountain, and take them off guard,"_ _Lin explained, dragging her finger across the map. "That could work."_

He saw in his dream before him Chief Beifong talking to who he now knew was her sister.

 _"And give them the high ground?" Suyin protested. "No, if their lavabender spots us, he'll melt the mountainside and us with it."_

 _"It's not like we have many other options," Lin stated. Before long, Suyin countered with a point of her own, and they were once again lost in argument. It had been hours since they had started debating, and yet nothing had been accomplished. The situation was, as always, grim. Dozens of captured airbenders. Four anarchists with unbelievable power. One ultimatum. And no clear options._

This was the part where he came in, and it always proved to make him stomach twist in knots. He watched his doppleganger in the dream; his green eyes gazing out the window.

 _It was all Bolin could think about as he stared out the great window of the airship, watching the grey skies pass by slowly. The rocks and wind were unbroken by the turmoil consuming them in the flying metallic prison, and he tried to channel their serenity to clear his own, turbulent thoughts. It was a futile effort; even if Suyin and Lin could stop fighting long enough to work together, and even if Asami would stop pacing around the room, sending off shock waves as her boots clanked against the hard steel floor, and even if the chatter of every earth kingdom soldier would cease, he would never be calm. Because, he knew. He knew that even if they agreed to a plan, it would hardly matter. Zaheer would realize they were plotting against him, he would kill the airbenders, and they would fail._

 _"It's not going to work," he muttered along to the words his dream-counterpart was saying. "We can't save them. It's pointless."_

 _As he talked, the room became still, unmoving like the rocks and wind._

" _Bolin, don't talk like that," Suyin said poignantly. "We have to save them. Opal is trapped with them. I'm not leaving my daughter behind."_

 _"Of course," Bolin said regretfully. "But there's only one way to save them, isn't there? We can't attack without endangering them, so-"_

 _"No, that's not an option," Mako forcefully interjected. "We'll figure out another way. There's always another way. You told me that, right?"_

Bolin sighed, watching the inevitable argument unfold before him.

" _That was a long time ago," the Avatar sighed. "Look, I've been thinking about this for a while. We don't know if we can beat Zaheer, even with all of us put together. If I give myself up, we can guarantee that the airbenders will be safe."_

 _"You actually trust Zaheer to keep his word?" Asami asked, startled. "He's an absolute monster. The second you give yourself up, he'll kill the airbenders anyway."_

 _"No, I don't think so," said Bolin. "I can't be sure, but I have this feeling that he won't do anything to betray us. He wants me in chains, and he knows that if something goes wrong, I could easily escape. He won't betray us. I'm sure of it."_

 _"Even if he is going to keep his word," said Mako, slamming his fist against the table, "you can't honestly expect us to just give you up without a fight."_

Bolin gimanced, weariness in his eyes. The worst part was coming next.

 _"Mako, I need to do this," Bolin said breathlessly. Everyone stared blankly at him, stunned into silence. He sighed, and crossed his arms over his chest, defeated. "The world has been thrown out of balance for over one hundred and seventy years. The airbenders would restore that balance. The most important thing to do is to keep them safe. I'm in charge of maintaining balance in the world. It's my responsibility to do this."_

 _"Not alone," Mako moaned. He turned away sharply, unable to look his brother in the eye._

 _"Yes, alone," Bolin clarified. "I know none of you want me to do this, but I have to. Let me do this. Please."_

Say no, he begged silently, as if somehow that would change the already predetermined events. Please, say no.

Silence

 _Always silence. Bolin thought it was something he wanted, but now, sitting in the thick of it, he realized that the silence was a poison, and the prolonged emptiness clutched at this throat, intent to squeeze the determination out of him. Yet, without warning, the silence as broken, as a dead, unimpressed chuckle filled the room, and the eyes and attentions of all turned towards the Chief of the Republic City Police Department._

"You always have to be the damned hero," he said quietly, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

 _"You always have to be a damned hero, don't you, Bolin?" she said dryly. "Fine. If you are really sure you want to do this, I'll support you. When has it ever come back to hurt us before?"_

 _"Lin, you can't be serious," Mako said dejectedly._

 _She is, Bolin thought. This is my fate._

 _"No, my sister is right," Suyin said suddenly. "This is Bolin's decision. If he thinks it's the best way to save my daughter, I'll follow him."_

 _"If it's what you want," Asami added, "I'll be there, too. You can count on me."_

 _Mako through up his arms in disbelief. "I can't believe any of you! You're willing to send him to his death. There has to be another way."_

 _"There isn't another way," Bolin said desperately. "Mako, I know it's hard-"_

 _"No. Just don't even talk to me right now," Mako said angrily. Without warning, he stormed away from the table, his form passing through Bolin's watchful spirit like he was nothing more than a ghost. Bolin shivered, watching his brother march through the door to the front of the ship._

And as always-just like every time before-Bolin did not hesitate to chase after him.

It always ended like this. The first few times he had woken up breathing heavy, chest heaving and a cold sweat coating his back.

By the forth time, he had learned not to call out his brother's name.

But something else happened this time. Instead of waking up, he followed his dream-self after his dream-brother.

 _Before he could say another word, he found himself sprinting through the corridors of the massive airship, hunting down his distraught brother. When he finally caught up to the firebender, he had forced himself into one of the spare bedrooms, and was sitting on the side of mattress, his body slumped over and his eyes locked to the floor. Bolin hesitantly walked over and sat beside him. Mako did not glance up as he began to speak._

He hovered by the door, causiously. This had never happened before. He needed to find out what his brother had to say to him before he went off to what very well could be a very painful and slow death.

 _"Do you remember when we were younger," he started, "and you tried to steal an apple from that cart in town square? You couldn't reach it, and you didn't want me to reach it for you, so you made me get on my hands and knees so you could crawl on top of me."_

He nooded, before realizing that no one could see him.

 _"Yeah," Bolin said softly. "The clerk caught us because I was digging into your hips and you were making too much noise. We got chased around the entire city."_

 _"Back then, you couldn't do anything without me," Mako said quietly. "And now, look at you. Saving the world almost every single day. My little brother."_  
 _Mako clenched his fist tightly, and Bolin instinctively wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulder._

 _"Don't worry about me," Bolin insisted. "I'm the Avatar. I can handle Zaheer."_

 _"I know you can, but still..." Mako sighed. "I've been with you for almost my whole life, and now, I'm just supposed to sit back and watch you go out there all by yourself. You can't even stand on my shoulders properly._ "

Well, _now_ I can, Bolin thought, trying to lighten the mood.

 _It was then that Bolin noticed something he had never seen before: a moist reflection in Mako's cheek. Bolin had never seen Mako cry before. In fact, he was fairly confident that Mako could not shed tears. He was tough, brave, and loyal. He grew up in a rough life, and refused to get so easily pushed around by the world. Even when their parents were taken from them, Bolin never recalled seeing Mako shed a tear, because Mako was the strong one. But now, alone on the airship, faced with the concept of losing the only family he had left, something inside him broke. The tears were few and came out silently, rolling down his cheeks without so much as a sob. But each one pierced through Bolin's heart, and he couldn't bear the sight. He wrapped his powerful arms around Mako's slender frame, and pulled him into the tightest hug he had ever given._

_'You better come back, Bolin," Mako wept softly. "You better come back to us."_

 _"Of course I'll come back," Bolin said with a weak smile. "Nothing could keep us apart, bro."_

 _Bolin pressed tightly against his brother. Of course, he would come back. They would save the airbenders, defeat Zaheer, and bring balance to the world._

 _They had to._

Just then, Bolin felt the dream around him disolving, blackness clouding his vision. He woke up with a start, his head pounding at the energy spent with his spirit out of his body.

For the first time since Bolin had first had that dream, he felt a sense of something stir inside him. Something like hope. For years now he had been dreading this fateful battle, knowing his death was soon to come.

But now...now he felt like he could do this. He wasn't going to give up. He was going to _live._ Not just for Mako, or the world, but for himself, too. He was going to stare death and fate in the face and give them both a big middle finger.

He was the Avatar. But more importantly, he was _Bolin_. And Bolin was strong.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, guys! I uopdated the last chapter "Nightmare", because I read it and realized there were some mistakes and formatting issues. Hope you enjoy. I'll try to update soon! And if you have any ideas, or suggestions, feel free to let me know. I'll try and update soon.**

 **Take care!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, guys! I'm thinking about starting this whole story over...? I just don't like where it's heading at the moment and think I wanna change some things.**

 **Let me know if you're really into this story and if you have any things you want in it. Can't promise, but I'll try.**


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